The present invention relates in general to heat exchangers and in particular to a new and useful monitor which is capable of determining the level of performance of a heat exchanger and specifically the amount of fouling on surfaces of the heat exchanger.
The performance of heat exchangers can be monitored. Such monitoring however, requires extensive calculations which, hitherto have been done using computers and high level programming languages. Such performance calculations have been disclosed in "Trouble-Shooting Compression Refrigeration Systems" by K. J. Vargas, Chem. Engineering, Mar. 22, 1982.
In order to determine the performance capacity of a heat exchanger under various operating conditions, deviations of the heat exchanger from design conditions must be accounted for by these extended calculations.
Experimental data has also been used to determine heat exchanger performance as disclosed in "Controlling Chiller Tube Fouling" by G. Leitner, ASHRAE Journal, February 1980. Such experimental data are not always available however.
Currently, computers are employed to determine the performance of heat exchangers in a prompt manner. The continuous availability of performance measurements helps in diagnosing several problems as they occur. Computers however, require high level language and highly trained personnel. This results in high costs for monitoring the heat exchangers.